


Comfort

by winterfirehair



Series: First Love [4]
Category: Everything Sucks (TV)
Genre: Bruises, Crush, Crying, Domestic Violence, F/M, First Love, Hugs, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-18
Updated: 2018-03-24
Packaged: 2019-04-04 09:34:43
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,892
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14017365
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/winterfirehair/pseuds/winterfirehair
Summary: Tyler and Oliver get closer with every day. But what are you supposed to do when your closest friends place is more like a home for you than your own home?





	1. Chapter 1

Hanging out with Oliver for one afternoon turned into more than just that one time and now every time Tyler had finished his classes for the day and they wouldn't film after school, Oliver would wait at his locker and invite him over.

While it was weird the first few times with Tyler only being used to hanging out with Luke and McQuaid, who were his age, he soon realized that Oliver didn't mind their age gap at all.

Now, after spending almost two whole weeks together, they had found out that they both loved ice cream - vanilla for Tyler while Oliver preferred mint - liked watching the same movies - even though Oliver was mostly just analyzing the acting of the cast, which Tyler in turn found fascinating - and had a somewhat similar taste in music.

Oliver's room was cozy in a way that fitted the older's personality. As soon as the awkwardness of being in another person's room faded, Tyler felt incredibly comfortable whenever they would stay inside and just talk or watch a movie together. Oliver had hung up some photos of actors and actresses he adored as well as the covers of some plays he liked. It was a rather grown-up way to express himself, which Tyler liked. After getting to know Oliver better, he couldn't help but admire the older one.

But all of that just made Tyler's situation worse. The nervousness and tension had faded, but now there was a deep adoration that made his chest ache every time he thought about the fact how much he liked Oliver. Now, when Oliver smiled, not his heartbeat would leave him unable to say something, but the feeling of his chest tightening and swelling with love.

It wasn't helping that Oliver and Emaline's relationship was as good as over. On some days, Oliver seemed so stressed that Tyler was worrying for his friends health, but didn't say anything when the older boy smoked three cigarettes in a row. On other days, Oliver would just rant about how much of a burden Emaline was to him, even though he liked her. He wanted to go to New York to become a professional actor, but she was holding him back. Being torn between his dreams and his relationship, Oliver had stayed in Boring longer than he wanted.

Tyler would listen to his friend, but he couldn't really help Oliver. The older one didn't mind. It felt good to have someone who took him and his goals seriously. Others often just brushed it off as some teen's unrealistic dreams and told him to get a real job, but Tyler wasn't like this. The younger one believed in him and supported his dreams. That way, their relationship quickly got closer than any of Oliver's friendships, even with the other Drama Club members.

On the other hand, Oliver would listen when Tyler faced problems. No matter how small they were - if a teacher had been mean to him or if he was laughed at by some girls for his squeaking voice - Tyler could always tell Oliver when something had happened that day. While his own friends had mostly just told him to get used to it - they were losers after all - Oliver took him seriously, knowing how even small things hurt the sensitive boy.

Oliver's parents had gotten used to the small boy visiting their home so often quite fast. His mother had grown quite fond of Tyler, even though Oliver made sure they didn't run into his parents too often, especially his dad. Mr. Schermerhorn was a nice man, but Oliver had seen Tyler tense up quite often when his dad spoke to him. He couldn't really place that fact, but he could feel how something was troubling the boy and talking to his parents made it worse - so he made sure to avoid these conversations.

He wasn't dumb, though. He knew that whatever was troubling Tyler had to do with his home. Oliver had never been there, they always spent their days in town or at his house or in the woods, but by now he could see that something was wrong. Tyler always stayed late and when they bid goodbye, there was this look in his eyes, like he was afraid to go home.

When Tyler showed up at school with a nasty bruise on his cheek and a haunted look in his eyes this monday, Oliver wasn't able to hold back any longer. When Tyler left his last class, Oliver was there, taking the younger boy by his hand and just dragging him away, despite the weird looks they got from the other students. Tyler just let him, not struggling or protesting in any way as they went to the auditorium.

"Who did that?", was the first thing that left Oliver's lips as soon as the door slammed shut behind them and he was sure they were alone. He sounded calm, but his hard breathing was enough to get that Oliver was furious. But mostly, the teenager felt helplessness creep into his heart. He had seen Tyler sad before, but now the bright boy seemed broken and Oliver wasn't sure how to fix him.

Looking down at the floor, Tyler only bit his lip instead of answering, fearing that if he opened his mouth, he would start to cry his eyes out. If he had any tears left after crying himself to sleep last night, that was.

Oliver sighed. He wasn't sure what to do, how to make the boy talk without damaging the trust that they had built up between them. Softly, he took Tyler's chin between his fingers and made the boy look up at him. That close, he could see that Tyler had cried, his eyes still slightly red rimmed. The bruise on his cheek was small, but nasty with a dark blue and purple colouring. It was fresh, not older than a day.

"Who did that to you, Tyler?"

The older boy's voice was soft and calm, while he looked into Tyler's eyes, which slowly filled with tears as the boy sniffled. Just a heartbeat later, Tyler wrapped his arms around Oliver and started crying, while the older one slowly stroked his hair. Hearing Tyler sob into his chest, clinging onto him was breaking Oliver's heart. His chest ached as he let the younger boy cry into it.

It took Tyler some time to calm down, but he felt better afterwards. Having someone hold him and just let him cry was a good feeling. Oliver, on the other hand, was only worried. Tyler was still not talking, not telling him who was responsible for the bruise on his cheek and even if he did - what should he do? Go and punch whoever had hurt Tyler? That would feel good, but probably wouldn't do anything for the younger one.

A sigh left Oliver's lips. All of this situation was completely shitty. Well, everything but being able to hold Tyler close. They were normally pretty casual around each other, just like normal friends, but sometimes Oliver couldn't help but think about how it would be to have Tyler curled up on his lap while watching a movie like Emaline sometimes did.

"I'm sorry..."

Before Oliver could stop him, Tyler had done a step backwards, rubbing the last tears from his eyes. The older boy quickly shook his head. "There's nothing you should feel sorry for, Ty."

"But I made a mess."

Oliver looked down at his shirt, wet with Tyler's tears, and shrugged. "I don't care. It's just a shirt and my mom will wash it, so stop being sorry for shit like this."

"Okay..."

Tyler looked down at the floor again and they were silent for a moment. Oliver wasn't sure what to say, but the younger one ended their silence before he could.

"It was my stepdad."

It took Oliver a second to understand, but when he did, he clenched his fist. "Your stepdad hit you? What the hell Ty?"

"He was drunk. I mean, he's always drunk, but it was worse last night. And when I came home so late, he just ... exploded."

Tyler flinched when Oliver softly touched his face, but when the older one pulled his hand back, Tyler just grabbed it and put it back on his cheek. The touch hurt, but it was also calming for the younger. Oliver took a deep breath. "You are staying with me tonight."

"What?"

Dumbfounded, Tyler looked up at the teenager, but seeing the look on Oliver's face he already knew that this decision was made and there was nothing to argue about. So he just nodded, accepting the statement. It wasn't like he wanted to go home anyway. "Thank you, Oliver..."

"Do you need anything from home? I'll go get it with you."

There was no way Oliver would let Tyler go home alone after what had happened. He knew that he had to, eventually, because he couldn't just take the boy away from home, but for now, he would not leave the youngers side.

Tyler thought for a moment. "Uhm... I need clothes for tomorrow. And my toothbrush."

"We have a spare one. And you can wear some of my clothes. Is that okay for you?"

"I... sure. Yeah, that's okay."

Tyler still seemed surprised about the sudden change of his plans to go home and sneak in his room to stay there, but after a moment, he gave Oliver a smile. Not a faked one, but a sincere smile that seemed genuinely happy and reached his eyes, too.

"Good. Now let's do something that will make you smile some more, yeah? You're much cuter like this."

Tyler couldn't help but blush at that comment, but it made him smile even more as he nodded. His cheek may hurt and he had faced a betrayal of the worst kind last night, but with Oliver by his side, his life felt a little less like a complete disaster.


	2. Chapter 2

By the time they got home later that afternoon, Tyler felt a lot better than before.

Oliver had done everything to keep Tyler happy and smiling and he had done an amazing job in the youngers opinion.

After school, they had went to get some ice cream, which Oliver had paid for them both, not listening to the protest of the younger. With the cones in their hands they had strolled through town, just savouring the warm sunshine on their faces.

From time to time they had switched the cones, and just like he had when they did this before Tyler wondered if this wasn't a kinda gay thing to do. He never shared ice cream like this with Luke or McQuaid. But it was different with Oliver. There was nothing weird about it - it felt normal and at the same time somehow intimate. It was a nice feeling.

When they had finished their ice cream, they had strolled through the few shops Boring had. There was not much to see, but somehow it was still a nice thing to do.

After some time, when their feet and backs had started to hurt, they had sat down at the small fountain in the middle of town. With a smirk on his lips, Oliver had suddenly splashed water at Tyler, who had let out a squeak and had just looked at the older quite schocked for a moment, but then he had begun to laugh and both boys had started a water fight that had left them with their clothes wet, but their hearts filled with joy.

Dripping wet they had decided to go home afterwards to get changed and somehow, with adrenaline still pulsing through their veins, their hands had found each other and the two boys had linked their fingers together. Tyler had looked up at Oliver in surprise, blushing hard, and even Oliver had seemed surprised. But then, the older boy had simply squeezed Tyler's hand with a soft smile. It felt right to hold hands, even with some people looking at them weirdly. After all, Boring was a small city and two boys holding hands wasn't a daily sight and wouldn't be for the next few years. But neither of them cared. This was their little, perfect moment and it was theirs only.

They stayed connected like that until they reached Oliver's house, where he had to let go of Tyler's hand to unlock the front door.

Tyler was speechless. His chest felt so tight it hurt, but it was somehow a pleasant feeling. Now he knew that this wasn't just a crush; he was madly in love with Oliver. And it felt absolutely right.

Oliver, on the other hand, was absolutely confused. This was so different from everything he had ever experienced with Emaline or any other girl. Was it love? This need to keep Tyler close and safe? The ache in his chest when he had to see him hurt and the pride he felt every time he made the boy laugh?

The boys spent the evening listening to music of Michael Jackson and Oasis, of Green Day and Blink 182. It was great to just sing along and have fun together. Tyler, feeling so comfortable around Oliver, would've forgotten about the bruise on his cheek if it hadn't been constantly throbbing painfully. But he was buzzing with love and happiness, both feelings numbing the pain of betrayal and physical hurt.

When Oliver left for a few moments to inform his parents that Tyler would be staying over, the younger boy got up from where he had been sitting on the floor to inspect his cheek in the mirror. It looked even nastier than it had in the morning. His skin was coloured dark purple now where his step father's fist had collided with his cheek bone, knocking him off his feet.

It wasn't the first time his step father had been violent, but the first time Tyler actually got hurt like this. Usually when his step father had had too many drinks, Tyler just had to make sure he was as silent as he could and not draw any attention on himself. But even if he did, the man had never done anything worse than throwing stuff after him or pushing him aside if he was in the way.

The last night had been different. When Tyler had come home, his step father had been sitting in the kitchen, barely able to sit straight on the chair. He then had demanded to know where Tyler had been and why he was coming home this late. The boy had answered truthfully that he had been with a friend. It seemed like that had been the wrong answer, because in the next moment pain had exploded in his head like a thousand stars. Tyler had then found himself lying on the floor, not being able to hold back his tears as the drunk man shouted at him that he was a failure and didn't even deserve to live in the same house as them.

Tyler had locked himself in his room for the rest of the night, crying into his pillow in pain, frustration and confusion. Eventually, he had fallen asleep with his cheek aching and his head throbbing.

School on the next day had been torture. Of course he had been asked where the bruise came from. Other students had quickly come to the conclusion that probably one of the older students had beat him up to get his lunch money or simply because he was a loser. But it had been harder to find something he could tell Luke and McQuaid, especially because Tyler was everything but a good liar. So when he had told them that he had tripped on the stairs at home, both of them just gave him a look of pure disbelief. Even Kate had seemed sceptical, but when Tyler had just continued eating his lunch it had been clear that they wouldn't get a different answer and they had dropped the topic.

All of them but McQuaid. He had approached Tyler about it again after lunch, trying to get the truth from his friend, but Tyler had told him to knock it off and even though he could see that his friend didn't like to, McQuaid did.

Tyler wanted nothing more than to tell them. McQuaid and Luke knew his step father and how he sometimes would throw beer cans after him or try to get his bulldog to bite him when Tyler really pissed him off somehow. But he was afraid. Afraid of what might happen if people knew that his step father had hurt him. And after all, it had been the first time. It had simply been a mistake. The man had been drunk and probably had had a bad day. That was the whole reason why he had hurt Tyler, he was sure of that.

"Hey Ty, are you hungr-"

Oliver stopped mid-sentence when he saw how spaced out Tyler looked, standing in front of the full body mirror with his fingers softly touching the bruise on his cheek. The teen felt his heart clench painfully. Slowly, he stepped closer. "Ty?"

"Can you hug me?"

Tyler's voice was soft, almost pleading. He didn't look away from his own reflection, didn't stop touching the dark mark of abuse on his face.

"... Of course."

Without further hesitation, Oliver gently pulled the trembling boy into his arms. Tyler couldn't help but snuggle into the warmth and safetly that was his older friend, blinking back the tears that threatened to roll down his cheeks. And Oliver just held him close as long as Tyler needed it.

When they parted, Tyler had a smile on his lips again - a small one, but it was a start.

"Thank you, Oliver... for today and for letting me stay here and for being there for me."

"Hey, don't thank me for that. You're my friend right? And I care about my friends. Now, are you hungry? My mom has dinner ready."

Smiling, Oliver ruffled the boy's hair, earning a laugh from Tyler, who nodded at the question. "I could eat a whole cow."

"I don't think she was able to get us a whole cow, but I'm pretty sure pizza will do it, too. Right?"

Tyler's eyes lit up. "Yep!"

When they went downstairs, Tyler was surprised to see that Oliver's parents were eating in the living room while plates for the boys were standing on the kitchen table. Normally when Tyler had stayed for dinner, they had always sat together in the kitchen. When he looked at his friend in confusion, Oliver smiled softly. "Figured you'd like to avoid my parents for now."

Tyler, who would've thought he couldn't fall deeper in love with Oliver, felt his heart skip a beat before a big smile spread on his face as he sat down with the older teen. If there was a god, Tyler was sure Oliver was one of his angels, sent to help Tyler through the hell that was his life on most days.

 

The boys decided to go to bed around 10 pm. Tyler was slowly getting tired - after all, he hadn't had much sleep the night before - and Oliver wasn't going to keep the boy awake longer than necessary, even though he enjoyed the evening with him. They could talk about everything while they occasionally shared a cigarette with the window open, warm air taking the scent of tobacco outside and remembering them that summer was finally here.

"Here. These should fit you."

Oliver, who had been searching for something for Tyler to wear to bed, finally stepped away from his closet. Smiling softly, he threw the clothes over to the smaller boy sitting on the floor, who catched and unfolded them. It was sports wear, a grey tank top with a Boring High print on the front and the number 08 on the back and black shorts to complete the outfit.

"Did you actually wear these?", he asked, looking up at the older teen. He couldn't imagine Oliver wearing something like this, it was absolutely not his style. Oliver just shrugged. "Only as a freshman and only for PE class. When I finished that year, I refused to wear that outfit again. It just doesn't look good on me. You, on the other hand, have the perfect body type to wear stuff like that."

For a moment, Tyler looked at him in confusion. Oliver then laughed. "Luke's Wonderwall video, remember? You were dancing in that cheerleader outfit. It looked great on you to be honest."

"Oh."

Tyler suddenly remembered himself and felt his cheeks heat up, not because he was embarassed, but rather because Oliver remembered his role in the video not as a stupid kid dancing around in girls clothes. Not that Tyler had felt stupid. It had been fun and now he kinda envied girls for being able to wear skirts, the one he had worn had been incredibly comfortable. But Oliver complimenting him for the outfit was a whole other story. "Thank you."

"How often do I have to tell you that you don't need to thank me for everything?", Oliver instantly scolded him, but with the smile on his lips and the amusement in his voice it was hard to take it seriously. The older teen then pulled his shirt over his head and threw it into the clothes basked next to his door.

He didn't want to, but Tyler couldn't help it. Openly staring at the older teen while Oliver searched for the shirt he had worn to bed last night , Tyler felt his heart speed up. In his eyes, Oliver was beautiful - he looked like he could walk right into a fashion magazine or into some TV commercial for perfume. His slender and flawless body reminded the younger one of the greek statues they were shown in history class.

If Oliver noticed Tyler admiring his body, he didn't say a thing. Once he found his shirt, he put it on and Tyler was pulled out of his daydreams. Quickly, he scrambled to his feet, pressing Oliver's old clothes to his chest. "Is it okay if I change here?"

"Sure, I don't mind. We're both guys after all, right?", Oliver shrugged. "If you'd like privacy though you can use the bathroom. Or I can wait outside."

Tyler hesitated for a moment, but then again Oliver was right. They were both boys and he basically had nothing to worry about. Who cared if he was rather scrawny and unmuscular? Certainly Oliver didn't.

While Tyler changed, Oliver tried to find something else to look at, but something about the teen just made it impossible to really look away. It wasn't like watching Emaline change, where there was always a certain desire to touch her, but a feeling that was a lot more innocent - just like Tyler himself. As if to prove that, the boy blushed heavily when he noticed Oliver watching him.

For a moment, both of them stood still, not saying a word. The room flooded with some weird but not unpleasant tension as they looked at each other, getting stronger with every passing second. Then, Oliver coughed almost awkwardly. "Let's brush our teeth and then go to sleep, yeah?"

"Y-Yeah.", Tyler agreed, visibly confused of what just had happened.

 

They had decided earlier that sleeping in the same bed was okay for both of them; so Tyler plopped down onto the bed when he left the bathroom after brushing his teeth, and then let himself fall onto his back. The bedsheets smelled just like Oliver, which made the boy sigh happily.

"Hey, we agreed to share the bed. Move over a bit.", Oliver laughed when he entered the room and saw Tyler spread out on his bed like this. Tyler only grinned and shook his head. "I'm too tired to move."

"Christ..."

Oliver sighed in rather playful annoyance and then gently shoved Tyler on the side of the bed that was next to the wall, which caused the smaller boy to giggle softly while he let himself be manhandled, going limp like a rag doll. Oliver then let himself fall down on the bed next to him, while Tyler propped himself up on his ellbows. "Oliver?"

"Yeah?"

"Can I ask you something?"

The older teen turned towards him, a surprised look on his face. Tyler never asked if he could ask something, he usually just did. "Yeah, sure. You can always ask me stuff, I though you knew that Ty."

Tyler smiled, but it was an insecure smile. "I know, but this is different."

The few words were enough to create a sudden atmosphere change, which they both felt, not knowing yet if it was good or bad.

"How so?", Oliver asked calmly, not taking his eyes off Tyler's face.

"I'm afraid to ruin our friendship. I know you don't judge me for anything but... I don't want to lose you."

He could see the fear in Tyler's eyes as the younger one looked up at him. Right now, Tyler was opening up completely to him and this was somehow scaring Oliver himself. He knew where this was going, knew it in his heart even though the thought of where the boy was heading hadn't completely formed yet in his mind.

Still, Oliver smiled at the boy. "You won't lose me, Ty. I'm your friend and I'm always going to be there for you, no matter what happens."

"Even if I asked you if you would kiss me again?"

Silence.

Oliver knew Tyler often just said what he was thinking and that the boy usually wasn't exactly shy. He would even describe him as somehow extroverted in a nerdy and cute way. But right now, he had to admit that Tyler had surprised him.

Tyler, on the other hand, was growing more anxious the longer Oliver stayed silent, just looking at him with surprise clearly written on his face. Had it been wrong to ask him like that? Did he rush things? After all, they had held hands today. Or did he just misunderstand the signs?

"Earth to Oliver?", he softly asked, carefully touching Oliver's shoulder.

The older teen blinked twice, then shook his head. "Sorry, Ty. You just took me by surprise... So, you're still thinking about that kiss?"

Smiling softly, Tyler lowered his gaze. "Yeah."

"And you'd like to do it again?"

A nod from the boy, who stayed silent this time.

When he heard the rustling of the sheets, he looked up again, just to see that the older teen had shifted closer to him. Softly, Oliver let his fingers slide over the boy's not bruised cheek. "I've been thinking about that kiss, too. Pretty often, actually. You're the first boy I've kissed, you know."

Tyler couldn't exactly place that statement. Was that good or bad?

"Do you regret it?", he asked, his voice somehow a bit thin.

Oliver blinked, then shook his head quickly. "No! No, I don't. Not at all, Ty. It's rather the opposite. I'm glad we had to kiss that night. And to be honest... I'd like to kiss you again, too."

Now it was out. Both boys looked at each other, both somehow insecure, both trying to understand the tension between them.

To Oliver's surprise, it was Tyler who made the first move. The teen shifted closer to his older friend without saying a word and while his heart was racing in his chest, Oliver's confession had somehow sparked the self-confidence of the younger one. Slowly leaning closer, Tyler closed his eyes as he gently placed his lips on his friend's, just for a short, sweet moment. Then he pulled back just a bit. "Is this okay?", he whispered, his minty breath brushing against Oliver's lips.

"Yeah...", Oliver whispered back before gently pulling Tyler closer to continue the kiss.

It was different this time, not as awkward as it had been back when they had been dared to kiss. They didn't have to rush anything, could take their time and actually enjoy being so close to each other. Tyler was buzzing with happiness, electricity running through his veins and making his whole body tingle as he and Oliver shared another sweet kiss with Oliver holding him so gently as if he was afraid he could break him.

They stayed like that for a while; sharing soft kisses and whispers until neither of the boys was able to resist the sweet call of sleep anymore.

When Oliver's mom knocked on the door later, both teens were already asleep. Opening the door when no answer came, she was surprised by the sight. Both boys were cuddled together in a rather intimate way. Oliver was lying on his back, one arm slung around Tyler whose head was resting on Oliver's chest, his arm on the older's stomach.

The woman watched the scene for a moment. She was confused, but on the other hand she had already noticed how close the boys were. Not making a sound, she turned off the light - the reason why she had knocked in the first place - and closed the door. If this was what her son wanted, she wouldn't complain. As long as Oliver was happy, she was happy too.


End file.
